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LONGDALE - Lelan Dean Cox was born to Thomas Eugene and Lula Pearl April 7, 1925, on the family homestead near Longdale, Okla.
He is survived by his sister Verda; wife Thelma; and sons, Dahl and Chuck.
A memorial service will be 2 p.m. Sunday, May 16, 2010 at Longdale High School Gym. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Longdale Gym Community Association, P.O. Box 154, Longdale, OK 73755.
Dean grew up working on the family farm and hunting and fishing the surrounding area. He attended school in Longdale by riding a horse to and from town. He participated in many sports while attending high school in Longdale and enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 1944 at Fort Sill. He volunteered for the 501 Parachute Infantry Regiment and was attached to the famous 101st Airborne Division for the invasion of Europe during WWII. Among his many assignments during the European Campaign, he was a member of the elite Pathfinders, participated in the defense of Bastogne and assisted in the liberation of concentration camps.
After WWII, Dean returned to Oklahoma and attended college at Oklahoma A&M in Stillwater. While in Stillwater, he tried out for Henry Iba's freshman basket ball team, worked in various part-time jobs around town and at the Stillwater airport. He had developed a love of aviation and also was trained as an aircraft mechanic while in the service. He rebuilt several surplus military aircraft including a P-51 Mustang to make extra money.
After college, he returned to NW Oklahoma and was hired by the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. He worked as a fireman and mechanic for several years before returning to farming and to start raising a family. After moving around quite a bit in search of a better life for his family he returned to the Longdale area and worked at the Fairview Lumber Co. for many years before he began a general construction business.
He met and married Thelma Lee Comer of Thomas, Okla., and they enjoyed 37 years of dancing, fishing in Canton Lake, gardening and Morrell mushroom hunting. Along with building many homes and businesses in Blaine and Major Counties, Dean supervised two expansion projects at Canton High School before finally retiring.
He will be sorely missed by his family and friends.
Services provided by Corbett Funeral Service of Oklahoma City.
Condolences to Dean's family may be submitted online at www.corbettfuneral.com
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